The present invention relates as indicated to improvements in pitching rubber and home plate construction, and relates more particularly to improvements wherein the pitching rubber and home plate can be releasably locked in place on supporting casing for convenient removal and replacement.
Both pitching rubber and home plate are integral parts of the game of baseball and have been since the inception of the game. Home plate has traditionally been at essentially the same elevation as the surrounding playing field and batters' boxes, and this flatness is essentially dictated by the fact that players cross and slide into home plate. Pitchers' mounds, on the other hand, have traditionally been elevated or mound-shaped, and a pitching rubber is mounted at generally the top portion of the mound. In accordance with the rules of baseball, the pitcher must be in contact with the pitching rubber while throwing the baseball. The ordinary pitcher's rubber consists of a mat of elastic material, for example, rubber, and during the course of repeated use the rubber absorbs spike marks, some of which are relatively deep, and corners or edges of the rubber are also frequently broken off. In a similar manner, home plate, which is likewise formed of an elastic material such as rubber, is subjected to a high degree of wear. As a result, both home plate and the pitcher's rubber must frequently be replaced during the playing season.
At the present time at the major league level of baseball, the home plate and pitcher's rubber are rigidly secured to blocks of wood which are embedded in the home plate and mound area. To the best of applicant's knowledge, home plate and the pitcher's rubber are rigidly mounted in place by nailing the same to the wood blocks. Since the dimensions of the playing field must be precisely determined based upon the exact location of home plate and the pitcher's rubber, at the time of replacement of the home plate and pitcher's rubber, the distances between home plate, the pitcher's rubber and the bases must be carefully measured subsequent to replacement of home plate and the pitcher's rubber. This is obviously a very time consuming chore. Moreover, when the home plate and pitcher's rubber have degraded to the point that they must be replaced, they must be pried loose from their nailed securement, a laborious process. Since there are no precise guides or alignment means for replacement home plates and pitching rubbers, the above noted precise measuring is required.
A further disadvantage of present pitching rubber mounting arrangements is that the rubber is relatively thin and provides only a very limited surface against which the soles and spikes of the pitcher can engage during the pitching motion. This results in the dirt in front of the pitching mound being displaced which in turn makes it even more difficult to obtain proper contact by the pitcher.
Various attempts have been made in the prior art to ameliorate some of the noted disadvantages with regard to the ordinary mounting of home plate and the pitcher's rubber. In U.S. Pat. No. 948,342, a home plate is disclosed which can be removably secured to a metal plate embedded in the ground. However, the removability is primarily for the purpose of replacing a spent roll of paper or cloth which can be periodically drawn up over home plate to provide a clean and highly visible surface. There is no recognition in this prior art of the frequent need to replace home plate itself, nor is there disclosed therein any quick and convenient method of doing so.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,662,769 to Madsen, pitching rubbers of various forms are disclosed, with certain of the forms providing a plurality of pitching surfaces. In each instance, the pitching rubber is secured to a block of wood by nails or mounting bolts, or both. When the exposed pitching surface has become worn, the pitching rubber and wood block to which it is secured can be rotated 90.degree. so as to present a fresh surface. In such arrangement, both the rubber and the means embedded in the ground to which it is secured must necessarily be lifted and replaced, thereby requiring the time consuming measurement noted above. U.S. Pat. No. 2,662,768 to Madsen is similar in concept, providing a generally rectangular body of rubber the interior of which is reinforced to provide stability. The rubber can be rotated 90.degree. to present a new pitching surface. This arrangement provides a pitching rubber assembly which is not satisfactorily stable when in place and which requires the necessary alignment when a new pitching surface is provided.
The concept of providing a permanent anchor for bases is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,747 to Orsatti. In the anchoring device of Orsatti, an anchor post is embedded in concrete, and a sleeve secured to the base is adapted to fit over the upper end of the post. Both the post and sleeve are rectangular in cross section so as to prevent rotation of the base. Although this type of base construction, commonly known as the "Hollywood" base, has proven highly satisfactory for base construction and mounting, the concept cannot be used to advantage in pitching rubber and home plate construction.